Defibrating-machine.



No. 832,476. PATENTED OCT. 2, 1906. J. s. GILLIES.

DEFIBRATING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 27. 1905.

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(Inna/mica I g 1% abtozmmgs 1/9004 eoaeo No. 832,476. PATENTED OCT. 2, 1906. J. S. GILLIES.

DEFIBRATING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED 52mm. 1905.

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529 Z5 1 10 o o. 0 o L Z/Z Z0 A27 C \A To. 15 5 1 moan/6oz s I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN S. GILLIES, OF MANILA, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TO METCALF A. CLARKE, OF MANILA, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.

DEFlBRATlNG-MACHINE- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 2, 1906.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OHN S. GrLLIEs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Manila,

in the Philippine Islands, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Defibrating-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in machines for the treatment of fibrous plants, and is especially adapted for use in defibrating or separating the refuse matter from the fibers contained in the stalks of the abaca and similar fiber-bearing plants.

The principal object of the invention is to provide means for giving a rotary motionto the clean portion of the fibrous material, whereby the individual fibers of the cleaned portion are slightly twisted together in a loose strand during the process of decortication, thereby practically eliminating breakage of the fibers by the increased strain thereon, owing to the separation of the integument and viscous refuse matter therefrom.

Another object of the invention is to so mount the knives or scrapers with relation to each other that during the passage of the abaca therebeneath one of the knives or scrapers will act on one face of the stalk and the next knife will engage the opposite face thereof, whereby the greater quantity of the integument and viscous matter is initially gouged out of the stalk, a more complete separation being attained during the passage beneath the second knife or scraper.

Other objects and advantages will ap ear from the following specification, and to more fully understand the invention reference is had to the accompanying drawings, illustrating an application of the same, in which like figures designate the same parts in the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved apparatus. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of same. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the operating-frame carrying the twister-head. Fig. 4 is a section along the line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the clamp or twister-head. Fig. 6 is an end elevation of one of the scrapers or knives, showing means for elevating and locking same; and Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of a leaf or stalk of the abaca-plant.

1 is a suitable frame, preferably of angleiron construction.

2 and 3 are forward and rear shafts, respectively, journaled in the frame and provided with sprocket-wheels at each side of the frame, around which reeve the sprocketchains 4.

5 is a gear-wheel on the end of the sprocketshaft 2, driven by the intermeshing pinion 6, mounted on the shaft 7, provided with the operating cranks or handles 8.

9 is a depending hanger or plate carried by the frame, in which one end of the shaft 7 may be journaled.

The shaft 3, carrying the sprockets at the rear end of the machine, may also be suitably journaled in the depending hangers or plates 10, which plates in the present'instance are slotted, as at 10", to receive the journalprising in the illustration the bolt 11 and nut 12, associated with the frame of the machine to take up and adjust the slack of the sprocket-chains, if desirable.

13 is a shelf or table at the forward end of the machine and disposed substantially in the same plane as the lower path of travel of the sprocket-chains, and 14 is a knife or scraper located in the inclining guideways 15, extending from the outer end of the shelf or table 13 upwardly and rearwardly toward the top of the frame.

16 is a second knife or scraper mounted at the rear end of the machine and suitably supported by standards or uprights forming a part of the frame 1,.

In Fig. 6, 1 designates the uprights or continuations of the frame 1, preferably of angleiron, to which is adjustably secured the cross-piece or angle-plate 1? by means of the bolt members 17, secured to the uprights 1 and screwthreaded, as at 17 to receive locking-nuts engaging the lateral web of the cross member 1*. As the knife is hung from this cross member 1*, it will be seen that these bolt members 17 afford a means for regulating the pressure of the knife or scraper against the material being treated.

16 represents vertical guide-plates carried by the frame 1 adjacent slots cut in the web ends to the knife or scraper 16.

and forming guideways through which the ends of the knife 16 reciprocate during the upward swing of the knife, the downward movement of the knife being adj ustably controlled-by the set or abutment screws 18, passing through a table or shelf 19, immediately below the knife 16, said table or shelf being supported on the main frame by suitable brackets or angle-plates and preferably composed of suitable wood, such as lignumvitae. The knife is suspended by the hanger bars or arms 20, pivotally secured at one end to the cross member 1 and at their other These hanger bars or arms 20 are also pivotally connected to each other by means of the bar 21, provided at one end with an operating-lever 22, pivotally secured in a bracket 23, aportion of the bar 21 being notched, as at 24, to engage a pin 25, carried by the frame when the kinfe is set in its working position.

26 is a rack extending longitudinally along the top of one side of the frame, and 27 is a rail extending longitudinally along the other side of the frame, the purpose of which will hereinafter appear.

28 is a twister-head frame in the form of a channel-iron having its lateral web cut away to receive certain operating parts. On one end of this twister-head frame is located a grooved guide-wheel 29, adapted to ride along the rail 27. At the other end of the twister-frame is provided the rotary studshaft 29*, carrying at one end the pinion 30 and at the other end the beveled gearwheel 31.

The vertical longitudinal webs 28 of the twister-head frame are apertured, as at 32, (see Fig. 4,) to receive the spindles 33, carrying the gear-wheels 34, and projecting on one side laterally beyond the twister-head frame and carrying at this projecting end a clamp 35, comprising the apertured main member, in which is adj ustably mounted the clampingblock 36, carried on the end of the adjustment-screw 37, which adjustment-screw has a reduced end annularly grooved, as at 37, forming a shoulder 37 whereby the clamping-block 36 may be securely held with reference to the adjustment-screw 37 by means of the set-screw 38, carried by the clampingblock 36 and adapted to seat in the annular groove 37 of the adjustment-screw.

To prevent the possible slipping of the abaca-stalk between the jaws of the clamp, irrespective of what specific form of clamp is used, I find it desirable to interpose, as at 36, Fig. 4, a lining of gunny-sacking or other textile material, forming non-slipping contacting surfaces, and while other textile materials or rubber may be employed I find from experience that gunny-sacking best subserves the end. This lining may be secured to the faces of the clamping-jaws in any suitable wayfor instance, by a cement.

As clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3, the gearmesh, and the end one of these gear-wheels, which for identification is designated 34*, surrounds the studded end 39 of the beveled gear-wheel 40, the gear-wheel 34 and the beveled gear-wheel 40 being interlocked, as by the splining-screw 41.

42 is one of a plurality of bars extending transversely of and connected with the sprocket-chains, and 43 represents connecting-rods yieldingly secured to the web 28 of the twister-head frame, as by means of the coilsprings 44, the other end of the rods being provided with suitable securing meanssuch as a hook 43 and a set-screw43", if desired. To prevent the rear end of the twister-head frame from sagging when passin along the lower.

side of the sprocket-chain, provide any suitable means, illustrated in Fig. 1 by a hook-andeye or link connection 42 between the sprocket-chain and twister-head frame, constructed to allow horizontal play for the twister-head frame, but to prevent vertical play thereof, or the rear end of the twisterframe may be yieldingly connected witha cross-bar similar. to 42 to accomplish the same end.

In Fig. 7, for the purpose of illustration, 45 designates the integument of an abaca-stalk, 45 the glutinous portion forming the body of the stalk, and 45 the fibrous strands.

In each clamp member of'the twister-head frame a strip of the abaca-stalk is firmly se cured between the clamping-block 36 and the bottom of the frame 35, with the surface 45 preferably lying alongside the face of the clamping-block 36. In this position the knife 14 is raised in its guideways and the clampin frame secured, by means of the connectingars 43, to one of the cross-bars. 42 on the underneath side of the sprocket-chain, the arts being in the position shown in dotted ines in Fig. 2. The knife or scraper 14 is then lowered, and the pressure of this knife might be regulated in any wayfor instance, by its own weight or by operating mechanism similar to that described with reference to the knife 16. It will be obvious now that upon the operation of the cranks in the direction indicated by the arrows the strips of abaca will be dragged along in the path of travel of the lower portion of the sprocketchains, while the knife or scraper 14 is gouging out the glutinous pulpy matter 45, fairly TCO cleaning the fiber of the greater part of the refuse matter.

When the twister head frame passes around the sprocket-wheels at the rear end of the frame, the knife 16 is elevated sufficiently I 2 5 l rested, the downward movement of the knife 0 being limited by the adjustment-screws 18 to prevent abrasion of the fibrous material and the degree of pressure of the knife on the abaca being regulated, as before described, by the adjustment-bolt members 17. When in this position, the abaca is lead beneath the second knife 16 in the comparative form of a fiat ribbon, the greater portion of the viscous and pulpy matter having been extracted, and upon the continued rotation of the cranks in the same direction the twister-head frame will move forwardly along the machine, and the pinion 30, engaging the rack 26, will, through the intermediate gears 40, 34 and 34, cause the respective spindles 33 to slowly rotate during the forward movement of the twister-head frame, thereby conjointly imparting a slow rotary motion to the cleaned fibrous strands during the final process of de cortication, twisting them together in a loose strand and relieving the individual strands of fiber from strains independent of the conjoint strand.

While the foregoing illustrates an opera tive application of the invention, it will be understood that I do not wish to restrict myself to the exact details illustrated and described, as it is obvious that various modifications might be made without departing from the spirit of the invention-for instance, any suitable driving power might be em ployed other than the cranks, as shown.

What I claim is- 1. The combination in a machine for defibrating fibrous plants, of means for separating the waste vegetable matter from the fibers of the plant, and means for twisting said cleaned fibers in a strand while the remainder of the plant is being denuded of waste matter.

2. The combination in a machine for defibrating fibrous plants, of means for denuding the fibers of waste matter, a support rotatably mounted transversely of the path of travel ofthe plant being cleaned and cooperating therewith to impart a twisting motion to the cleaned fibers during the operation of denuding, and means for rotating said support.

3. The combination in a machine for defibrating fibrous plants, of means for denuding the fibers of waste matter, a movable support and means for operating same, a rotatablymounted twister-head carried by said support and adapted to engage the fibrous plant, and means for rotating said twister-head during the travel of said movable support.

4. The combination in a machine for defibrating fibrous plants, of means for denuding the fibers of waste material, a rack carried by the frame of said machine, a movable support operative adjacent said rack and means for operating same, a pinion carried by said support and engaging said rack, a rotatablymounted twister-head carried by said support and adapted to engage the plant being treated, and gearing between said twisterhead and pinion.

5. The combination in'a machine for defibrating fibrous plants, of means for denuding the fibers of waste matter, rotatably-mounted twister heads adapted to engage the plants being treated, and means for rotating said twister-heads during the operation of denuding.

6. The combination in a machine for defibrating fibrous plants, of a suitable framework and an endless traveler carried thereby, means for denuding the fibrous plant of its vegetable matter, a twister-head frame resiliently connected with said traveler, a twister-head mounted in said twister-head frame and adapted to engage the plant being treated, means for operating said endless traveler, and means for rotating said twisterhead.

7. The combination in a machine for defibrating fibrous plants, of a suitable framework, sprocket-wheels journaled at opposite ends thereof, endless traveler-chains carried by said sprocket-wheels, means for denuding the plant of waste vegetable matter, a crossbar connecting said traveler-chains, a twisterhead frame, spring connections between said twister-head frame and said cross-bar, a plurality of rotatable twister-heads mounted in said twister-head frame and adapted to engage the ends of the plants being treated, a rack, a pinion carried by said twisterhead frame and engaging said rack, gearing between said twister heads, and gearing between one of said twister-heads and said pinion.

8. A machine for defibrating fibrous plants, provided with a twister-head substantially as described, said twister-head comprising a clamping member provided on its contacting faces with a lining of nonslipping material.

9. A machine for defibrating fibrous plants, provided with a twister-head substantially as described, said twister-head comprising a clamping member provided on its contacting faces with a lining of gunnysacking.

10. The combination in a machine for defibrating fibrous plants, of knives or scrapers disposed out of vertical alinement on opposite sides of the path of travel of the plant being treated, means for drawing said plant along said knives, and means for twisting the cleaned fibers while the remainder of the plant is being operated upon by said knives or scrapers, substantially as described.

' 11. The combination in a machine for defibrating fibrous plants, of a suitable frame and endless conveying means extending longitudinally of said frame, a knife or scraper arranged at one end of said frame, substantially in the lower plane of travel of said conveyer, a second knife or scraper at the oppo- IIC site end of the machine arranged in the upper path of travel of said conveyer and adapted to engage the lant on the opposite face from said first kni e, and means carried by said conveyer to engage the plant bein treated Witnesses:

and operate the latter in contactua relation N. J. PHELAN, with said knives. Jos. KING, Jr.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN S. GILLIES. 

